Stuck in the Ocean
by IronicVeghead
Summary: Artemis takes a reckless chance during a mission, one that leaves her stranded in the middle of the ocean waiting for her team to find her. Artemis-centric. Spitfire. Twoshot.
1. The Water

**This is why I can't have nice things. **

**I can't NOT write stories about damsels in distress. Which sucks, because Artemis shouldn't be a damsel in distress. Luckily, I seem to have found a balance between Arty being a general bad ass and Arty in enough trouble to satisfy my damsel in distress needs. Because really I just love the aspect where the lover freaks out about their safety. **

**ALSO, the reason M'gann and Zatanna aren't here is because I couldn't have someone there who could track Arty and make this whole story irrelevant. And Rocket isn't there because I don't know her character well enough to write it yet. **

* * *

Artemis stared warily at the dark water below her, wishing that she could at least _see_ her feet and any creature that was near them. But it really wasn't any use. She couldn't even see her hands when they dipped in the ocean to help keep her afloat. Artemis could only use one arm too, because the other was occupied with keeping a floating suitcase close by. She was _not _going to lose the only good that came out of her recklessness. The archer let out a heavy breath, her grey eyes scanning the sky for any sign of help.

But she had no idea how far away her team was.

The blonde bit her lip as her legs kicked to tread water, the salt water irritating a wound on her leg, not to mention the numerous scrapes and small cuts she'd received. And she didn't even want to _think _about any sea creatures that might be attracted to the blood they were giving off.

_What am I even doing? _She scolded herself before moving to float on her back. Her limbs relaxed and her head bobbed lightly at the surface. She reached up momentarily to pull her mask down; the wet fabric had been spilling salt water into her eyes. But this new situation was only a slight improvement.

Artemis was freezing, weaponless, tired, and downright irritated. Because _really_, everything would have been just _fine _if that stupid pilot hadn't hit the self-destruct button.

* * *

**_One Hour Earlier_**

"Everyone in the Bioship!" Kaldur yelled as the heroes scrambled to get into their seats.

"We should be able to catch up," Robin stated as he took control of the Martian vehicle.

They had ambushed a Cobra Venom trade between a businessman and some criminals on an island offshore. Ambushing them wasn't the original plan, but since the criminals sent for the deal were merely pawns, it had seemed like the best course of action. Ergo, the current situation. It was the team's intent to catch the goons as they tried to escape the island on a couple of helicopters.

Robin had been put in charge of flying the Bioship since M'gann (and Zatanna) couldn't be present because of injuries from the previous mission, no matter how hard she tried to convince them she had healed. And while the Bioship was faster and more powerful than the helicopters, the goal was not to kill the people on board the aircrafts.

"I can shoot at them if you open the roof," Artemis offered, bow already in hand.

"You could also get sucked out by the air flow," Wally scowled, his fingers dancing across a keyboard as Robin had put him in charge of one of the ships guns.

"Red Arrow and Artemis; clip yourselves in and I'll raise you up," Robin frowned, ordering the Bioship to create ropes to keep them attached to the ship. Wally shot the tethers a withering look but went back to his job. In moments, the two archers were standing on the roof of the bioship directly behind the hole they had jumped through.

Artemis squinted from the wind but knocked an arrow and took fire.

The team member's comments buzzed in her ear through the communicator, telling her that the two aircrafts were starting to take separate courses. She and Roy couldn't say anything back because the wind killed their words the second they left their mouths, but they thought in unison as they both began shooting trackers.

Artemis was pretty sure Roy was growling when Robin told them that the passengers had frequency disablers on board, which mean their trackers were only decoration.

"It's almost out of range!" Roy shouted, though Artemis wasn't quite sure who he was telling this to.

With the Bioship following one helicopter, it meant that the other was getting farther and farther away.

Well for Artemis, that just wouldn't do.

In a split second decision Artemis hooked one end of a grappling arrow onto her belt and unclipped the Bioship's tether before immediately shooting at the escaping aircraft.

Artemis grit her teeth at the pain in her torso from the pull of the rope as she was yanked from her place atop the Bioship, but gripped the line nonetheless and pulled herself up as she flew. Roy's hand grazed her leg as he tried to grab her, and Artemis thought he might have been cussing too; but that was pretty much how he breathed so she might have imagined it. Once in the air, her mind was only vaguely registering the yells in her ear from her teammates as they registered what she had done.

The archer swung her bow around her quiver as she pulled herself onto the step-bars of the helicopter, opting instead for her handheld crossbow.

"What the hell?" A man yelled as she leaped in through the side door. Artemis made short work of pinning them to their seats before turning to the pilot.

"I suggest you do as I say," Artemis snarled, aiming at him.

"Or what?" He smirked.

Artemis heard them move before they reached her. The passengers had broken free of her arrows, which was unusual for someone with _normal _strength.

"Goddammit!" Artemis cursed as she fought them off; she managed to shoot one of the goon's legs before she had to drop her crossbow to defend their close ranged blows, "You're _androids?_" She asked, even though she had already figured it out. Normal people couldn't pull her arrows out of things; normal people would usually _bleed_when shot in the leg, and it certainly wasn't out of the ordinary when dealing with the Shadows.

Artemis snarled as one man ripped her quiver and bow off her back, but this only succeeded in giving her more room to move.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted," The pilot sang.

_Beep…Beep…Beep…_

"Shit!" Artemis cursed. _He's going to blow this whole damn thing up!_

The androids had anticipated her jump for the exit and changed their 'fight' tactic to a 'let's all work together to make sure Artemis doesn't leave before we all blow up' tactic, as Artemis so _fondly _thought of it. Out of the corner of her eye the archer spotted the suitcase the goons had tried to use in the trade before the team ambushed them.

_BeepBeepBeep…_

The blonde made a last ditch effort to escape, managing to edge her way towards the door during their squabble. Artemis kicked the suitcase out the door and propelled herself out of the helicopter, just as the beeps turned into a solid ringing.

_BOOM._

* * *

Wally was completely focused on his job at the ship's gun. His overly-fast brain anticipating the movement of the helicopter before it moved into place. Everyone was deep into their tasks; the talk between them was scarce until the two aircrafts started drifting apart.

"They're going different ways!" Robin nearly yelled.

"We'll only be able to follow one," Superboy snarled.

"Aqualad, which one has priority?" The boy wonder asked their leader.

"We'll follow the one closest," Kaldur replied grimly.

Wally continued trying to disable the helicopter with his shots, focusing at the moment on the one they were going to tail.

"_It's almost out of range!" _Roy shouted; his voice crackled into the ships speakers.

Robin was about to reply when the archer's voice suddenly filled the cockpit.

"_GODDAMMIT! THAT LITTLE SHIT! GUYS WE HAVE A FUCKING PROBLEM!_"

"What happened?" Kaldur asked him sternly. It was then that a tether and clip clanged on the floor as it fell back into the ship from the hole in the roof, after that Roy's cussing was the only sound for a short moment.

"Where's Artemis?" Wally yelled; his voice cracking.

"KF, keep shooting!" Robin ordered when the redhead had frozen, gaping at the roof.

"What. Happened?" Kaldur asked again, this time more forcefully.

"_She fucking grappled onto the other fucking helicopter! I can't even see the damn thing anymore!" _Roy yelled.

"We can track her," Superboy commented, although it sounded more like a hopeful question.

"The tracking disablers on the helicopter burnt hers out too," Robin scowled.

"We have to go after her!" Wally exclaimed, trying in vain to concentrate on his gunman position.

"Our priority must remain on this helicopter," Aqualad spoke with a deep frown.

"What? Then how are we going to find Artemis?" Wally asked; his eyes wide with worry.

"We can look for her after we're done here," Robin assured him.

Roy was still muttering curses over the speaker and Kaldur was whispering things to him through his microphone to calm him down.

_BOOM_.

The heroes shielded their eyes from the light as the helicopter they were chasing exploded.

"What the hell?" Roy snarled as he swung back into the Bioship, "What happened to _not _killing everyone on board?"

"It was not my shot," Kaldur stated, turning to Wally and Conner.

"Not mine," Conner frowned.

"I wasn't even shooting," Wally huffed.

"So they blew themselves up?" Robin asked skeptically.

"Perhaps as a safety precaution?" Kaldur suggested.

"Safety?" Conner snorted.

"A…back up plan to withhold information from us," The Atlantean explained carefully, testing the words in his head before speaking.

"Alright, so they're gone," Wally shrugged, "We need to go find Artemis," The speedster's hand forming fists involuntarily.

"We're already on the way back to the last known location of her helicopter," Robin informed them, the team only now noticing that they had been moving for quite some time.

"What if the other helicopter had the same orders as ours?" Roy asked, his lips meeting in a thin line after speaking.

"You don't mean…" Wally breathed.

"What if they blew themselves up too," Robin clarified bluntly, his mask easily showing the deep crease in his brows.

A short silence followed as the idea sunk in.

"We will split up to search the probable area," Kaldur ordered, his voice taking on his leading tone as he stood up, "I will jump down and search from below the waves, you will search elsewhere from above,"

"Alright," Robin agreed, opening a hatch for Kaldur's exit, "She's probably somewhere in that direction, we'll head a bit more to the left,"

Wally stood up, pulling his goggles down over his eyes, "Can I get a side door to look out?" He asked, turning his goggles to sense heat. Conner got up right behind him, heading to the other side of the ship.

Robin nodded, making windows for the two to scan out of.

"I can't believe she pulled such a fucking idiotic stunt," Roy grunted, taking an empty seat. Robin huffed out a half-laugh.

"Don't you mean you can't believe she pulled it off before you could?" He snickered.

Roy scowled, but said nothing.

* * *

_I will not panic._

_There are no sharks._

_It's nighttime._

_They're sleeping._

Her thoughts turned into a mantra as her limbs turned to lead. Artemis spluttered salt water out of her mouth when her head ducked too low, her teeth chattering as soon as she opened her mouth. She breathed a bit heavier from the exhaustion kicking in; adrenaline has long since worn off and her muscles were sore and tired. They were resisting with every movement that kept her afloat.

Artemis had given up floating when she noticed her hands and fingers were growing numb from the cold water. The archer decided she would rather die from exertion and be warm, than die freezing to death while she did _nothing._

_Sploosh._

Artemis whipped her head to the side at the noise. Her heart speeding up exponentially as she realized she was no longer alone in the water.

_Dolphins are known to help drowning people._ The blonde told herself. _They'll help them stay afloat._

A fin dipped out of the water briefly out of the corner of her eye, but she could only see its blurry silhouette.

Artemis grit her teeth to stop their shiver-induced clacking, as if she could hide if she could be silent enough. _Dolphins. _She reminded herself. _Dolphins._

The fin came up again.

It was _not _a dolphin fin.

Artemis's heart skipped a beat and a lump formed in her throat. She didn't know if she was still bleeding from the shrapnel wound on her leg, but she figured the fact that it _had _at one point was what lured the creature to her.

_I don't want to die from a shark!_ Artemis thought to herself, her heart leaping to her throat when she lost track of it. _I want to die in a blaze of glory! Or from old age! _Her emotions ranged from a mix of frustration, desperation, and fear. But the majority of her filled with anger; eaten by a shark. That kind of death just sounded so _undignified _for a hero.

Plus she had so much to do with her life still! She had to convince Robin to ask out Zatanna before she got impatient and jumped him. M'gann, Zatanna and her hadn't had a girl's night yet. Superboy still hadn't learned how to aim when he threw things, and she had _promised _to teach him! And Roy! She still had to beat Roy into oblivion until he realized what an _idiot _he is for obsessing over tracking her sister when Kaldur is so obviously trying to find a way to ask the archer out!

And that moronic Wally. She hadn't yet figured out what he had done to her. She knew what the butterflies in her stomach were, but _clearly _that was only the result of his captivating green eyes, fluffy red hair, and his enticing runner's physique. But the ache her heart got around him wasn't normal, the one that showed up whenever he would flirt with whatever girl that was around. They weren't related though, it was merely coincidence. Artemis had no feelings for him other than friendship and slight physical attraction. That was it. And nothing, not even those spikes of worry she got when he was in danger, would change her mind.

The shark swam by again and Artemis's ponderings were cut off by rather large, dark silhouette in the water.

There was no way she could fight off a shark without at least _some_ injuries, and she still had no idea if anyone was going to be rescuing her anytime soon. Artemis didn't even know if she could fight off a shark _at all_. Her arms were already dead weight from all her treading water.

"Auuuhhh!" A whine bubbled up in her chest as the shark swam past her. It was only a few feet away now, swimming around her in lazy circles. Artemis couldn't help but think it was toying with her; or guarding her from other sharks until it was hungry. She vaguely thought that she might be able to use the suitcase as a shield, but before a plan could form her calf brushed against the velvety smooth skin of the sea creature.

"HELP!" Artemis screeched; all thoughts of dying with some semblance of dignity were thrown out the window. "WHERE _ARE_ YOU?" She screamed in anger, not really caring which teammate she meant; because _anyone_ would do at this point. "I'M GOING TO HAUNT ALL OF YOU FUCKERS!"

* * *

**I have to admit, I'm really fond of how I wrote Roy here. I totally see him as the 'cussing as he breathes' types. And I couldn't resist throwing in some Koy (Kaldur/Roy), they're my second favorite pairing in YJ. The first being Spitfire, of course. **

**The second half will be posted tomorrow! Please review!**

**-Veg**


	2. The Wallman

**Here is part two! Please enjoy!**

* * *

**Backing Up: **

_"Auuuhhh!" A whine bubbled up in her chest as the shark swam past her. It was only a few feet away now, swimming around her in lazy circles. Artemis couldn't help but think it was toying with her; or guarding her from other sharks until it was hungry. She vaguely thought that she might be able to use the suitcase as a shield, but before a plan could form her calf brushed against the velvety smooth skin of the sea creature._

_"HELP!" Artemis screeched; all thoughts of dying with some semblance of dignity were thrown out the window. "WHERE ARE YOU?" She screamed in anger, not really caring which teammate she meant; because anyone would do at this point. "I'M GOING TO HAUNT ALL OF YOU FUCKERS!"_

**Present: **

A soft splash to her side caught her attention and Artemis turned with her hands balling in fists, ready to punch at the predator. But the water was quiet once more and there was nothing there. Then something arose from the water.

"Kaldur!" Artemis yelled; a smile on her lips as he swam over.

"Artemis," He grinned, allowing her to hang onto his shoulder so she wouldn't have to keep treading water, "I have found her," He spoke into his earpiece.

"The s-shark!" Artemis started, remembering what she had only just been worried about.

"I chased it away," Kaldur spoke calmly; "The team will be here shortly to pick us up. I noticed you are injured," He gave her a look of concern.

"It-t…" Artemis hated talking with a stutter, but she had grown colder since she'd stopped moving and she had been cold to start with, "It-t-t's f-f-fine," She pulled the suitcase along the water until it bumped against Kaldur's chest, "L-look-k w-what I got-t," The archer attempted a smile but her teeth just chattered loudly.

"This is surely not enough for the risk you took," The Atlantean scolded her, making sure to keep her head above the water.

Artemis frowned sorely, "Wh-wh-whatev-ver"

"Aqualad! Artemis!" Roy's voice boomed. The two blondes looked up at the Bioship that was sending down two ropes to the water.

"Will you be able to hold on?" Kaldur asked.

Artemis bit her lip. If it had been anyone else asking, she knew she would have said yes. But as it was, Artemis knew Kaldur wouldn't say anything. So she just shook her head, not wanting to stutter any longer.

Kaldur nodded as he reached for the rope before attaching it to his belt, "Hold on as best you can," He told her. Artemis nodded and looped her arms around his neck, the suitcase in hand. He tugged on the rope with one hand, the other wrapped tightly around her waist in case she lost her hold.

Artemis thought she was cold _before _she left the water, but she was definitely colder when she and Kaldur were on their way to the bioship. The wind was killer. She started shivering more and Kaldur noticed.

"Do we have any blankets on board?" He called up to the cockpit nearly before they reached them.

The two of them were pulled above the height of the floor, Robin closing the hole they came through after they'd passed. Kaldur set Artemis on her feet gently and ushered her into the arms of a blanket that had been waiting for her.

The archer gladly let whoever was holding the blanket to wrap their arms (and the blanket) around her. She wasn't really paying attention, but _boy _were they warm. Her fingers felt like ice so she dug her digits into their arms.

"What were you _thinking_?" Wally's voice cut through the warm-induced haze. _Oh._ Artemis thought numbly, looking around the ship at her teammates. It was unmistakable that Wally's voice had come from the body of the person holding her. _That explains why he's so warm. Wally has a high body temperature. _Her mind dug up the fact, as if wanting her to ignore the stares.

"I got-t t-that-t," Artemis nodded to the suitcase she had half-hazardly dropped on the floor, mentally cursing the letter T for being so damn difficult. She shivered and Wally's arms pulled her closer into him.

Robin crossed the ship and kneeled down to the case, attaching his glove's USB cord to the electronic locking mechanism.

"You need to get out of your uniform before you get hypothermia," Roy told her, and Artemis could tell it seemed to be non-negotiable.

"I don't-t h-have a ch-change of clothes," Artemis grumbled as she tried to hold her teeth still.

"I've got some," Wally said, tugging her along with him to the back of the ship, "Come on,"

"I don't-t want t-to wear y-you're j-junk," Artemis hissed. Wally chucked and the archer could feel his chest rumbling from the action as he pushed her into the ship's back room.

"It's clean, I swear," The redhead grinned, leaving her to dig into a box.

"W-why do y-you have clothes in h-here anyw-way?" She asked, pulling the blanket closer because without Wally's arms she was much, _much _colder.

The speedster bit his lip in concentration as he dug through the box filled with various clothing items, "After the fight with Clayface, Rob and I decided that we wanted to keep spare clothes in here. M'gann thought it was a great idea, so here it is," He smiled victoriously as he pulled out a few choice pieces, "These should fit you,"

Artemis scowled but snuck an arm out of her cocoon to grab the fabric. Wally gave her a small smile as she shuffled to a connecting room and shut the door.

The archer let out a long breath when she was finally alone, dropping the change of clothes on the floor. She pulled her hands out from under the blanket to glance at her shriveled fingers. _I really hope that suitcase was worth it; otherwise I'll look like an idiot._

A violent shiver hit her and Artemis frowned at her wet uniform. Deciding that wearing Wally's clothes was going to be worth the warmth, she began peeling off her clothes carefully. The wet cloth stuck to her and Artemis didn't enjoy thinking of how dry her skin was going to be after soaking in salt water.

After pulling off everything but her underwear Artemis dried off using the blanket, rubbing at her skin to try and make her goosebumps go away. She sighed in defeat when the friction of her cold hands didn't do anything to help and reluctantly picked Wally's sweatpants off the floor. Artemis was surprised to find that they didn't have any Flash insignias on them and were merely a dull grey.

The blonde grew much warmer once she had the sweatpants on. They were a bit long but that was an easy fix with a few rolls of the cuff. The archer was especially careful not to let any blood get on the pants from the shrapnel wound on her calf. Wally would _never_ let her live it down if she did. She then turned her attention to his shirt.

His bright yellow shirt with a large Kid Flash insignia on the front.

"That's more like it," Artemis scoffed sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the merchandise before tugging it over her head. The yellow was a stark contrast with her dark skin, but she had to admit the color _did_ look rather fetching against it. Not that she would _ever _say it out loud.

"Artemis?" Wally's muffled voice came through the door, "Are you alright in there?"

The archer huffed and wrenched the door open, "Yes, Wally," She frowned, secretly reveling in how he flinched away from the entrance as her action surprised him, "I'm fine,"

He gave her a small smile, reaching out to pull lightly on her sopping-wet ponytail, "You need to wring this out,"

Artemis pursed her lips. She didn't really want to do it, and Wally was already holding it, so she just leaned over, tilting her head so that the rest of the hair fell over her shoulder. The redhead chuckled lightly at her laziness, but nonetheless got the clue and reached out his other hand to start wringing out her long ponytail.

"Why'd ya do it?" Wally asked quietly, his hands almost to the end of her hair.

"We were going to lose them," Artemis replied curtly, straightening when Wally's hands pulled away, "I saw a chance to go after them,"

"But-"

"Head back to the cockpit," Robin's voice came through a speaker, "We're heading back,"

Artemis walked away before Wally could finish what he was going to say. A few of her teammates glanced in her direction when she walked to her seat and she became extremely aware of the insignia she was sporting on her shirt.

"You got lucky," Roy told her, a growl lining his voice.

Robin spoke up at her questioning look, "I studied the case you brought back. If everything is what it looks like, the League might be able to tie Lex Luthor to the deal,"

"Really?" Wally gasped, a grin spreading across his face.

"Really," Kaldur smiled.

"Great," Artemis deadpanned, "How long of trip is it back?" She asked Robin, holding her arms tightly around herself as she grew colder again since she wasn't moving around any longer.

"You're cold," Superboy stated, "Do we have any more blankets?" He asked the group, not quite sure who would know. Artemis bit her lip, not wanting any more sympathy or attention.

"There should be more clothes back there," Robin frowned, contemplating whether his own back up change of clothes would fit the shivering girl.

"I got this," Wally grinned, getting out of his seat to zip over to Artemis'.

"What are you doing?" She grumbled, eyeing his open arms suspiciously.

"If you want to get warm, I'm the fastest way," He explained, snaking his arms around her torso before pulling her up to sit down in her chair.

"Wally!" Artemis protested, trying to squirm out of his grip as he pulled her onto his lap and held her tightly.

"You don't want hypothermia," Kaldur reasoned, and Robin started snickering from his position at the controls.

Artemis huffed and made a show of trying to _not_ touch the speedster, but Wally would have none of that and retaliated by pulling her close against his chest. And it _was _a really warm chest.

She could feel his warm breath against her neck, and the delightful heat that came from his chest. His _really _muscular chest, which was steadily rising and falling against her back. Artemis held her lips tightly together, trying not to think about it. Because he's _Wally_ and she had enough trouble dealing with these stupid emotions when he _wasn't _holding her.

His arms had wrapped themselves tightly around her torso, trapping her and stopping any chance of escape.

"I'll be your personal body heater on this flight, here to keep you nice and toasty." Wally grinned, "Please keep all hands under control for the duration of the flight," He paused, thoughtful. And Artemis wondered, briefly, that maybe he was going to say something nice, "Or not, let them wander if you so please," He snickered.

She would have turned and scowled at him, if it hadn't been for the fact that she was rather comfortable. So the archer settled for crossing her arms stubbornly, but the action only made Wally chuckle.

"What happened to the other ship?" Artemis asked, remembering why she had done her reckless act in the first place.

"It blew up," Superboy grumbled. A somber feeling filled the air as the boys reflected on the lives lost; Artemis frowned when she realized what they thought.

"They were androids," She explained, "Given orders to destroy the evidence should they be compromised," The blonde felt Wally's sigh of relief tickle the back of her neck, "The case was all I could grab before I had to jump,"

"Well it was a stupid move in the first place," Roy told her, his eyes narrowing beneath his mask.

"I got the case," Artemis retorted, gesturing to the suitcase at Robin's feet.

"Yes, but you are fortunate I reached you when I did," Kaldur spoke seriously, "The shark you saw was not alone, and it would not have been long before they would have attacked,"

Artemis tried not to flinch in surprise at Wally's tightened grip, but she couldn't hide the shock that there had been more than one shark.

"Are we almost back yet?" She asked Robin, deciding to try and change the subject from her stupidity.

"Maybe a few minutes out," He responded lightly, his eyes focused on the route.

The archer gave a small sigh and tried to relax in Wally's grip for the rest of the trip. Luckily no one spoke for the duration and soon they had reached the Cave's docking bay.

"You can let me go now Wally," Artemis told the speedster, prodding his chest. Wally let go with a small laugh and Artemis stood up cautiously, not wanting to bump her leg wound into anything.

"You need to go to the medical bay," Superboy told her, standing nearby to make sure she made her way there. Artemis immediately regretted having once told him her tendency to not take care of her injuries. Her eyes automatically looked around as if someone would turn and say 'Oh hey, that doesn't look too bad. Don't worry about it'. But Kaldur and Roy had already walked off; Wally was looking at her leg with unwanted concern, and Robin...

"Better hurry before you start bleeding on the floor," The boy wonder snickered, walking off to take the suitcase to Red Tornado. Yeah, like Robin was going to help.

"Fine," Artemis huffed, walking with loud footsteps to the white-walled med bay. She grabbed a small first aid kit from the cabinet and shuffled to a chair, scooting another one nearby to prop her foot up on.

She gazed at the cut with a scrutinizing eye. It wasn't _that_ bad. Some metal had just sliced her skin up a bit; maybe a few inches across, the edges of the injury were ragged and torn too. It really only _looked_ bad. Artemis leaned back and grabbed some alcohol, deciding that it really only needed cleaned. She grit her teeth at the sting, but sucked it up like a Crock and soon she was good to go. The archer smiled, satisfied with her work and shut the first aid kit with a _click_.

"That's all you're going to do?" Wally's voice sounded out from behind her. Artemis frowned, twisting in her chair to view the speedster who had taken the time to change out of his uniform.

"So what?" She quipped, "It's not that bad," Artemis stood up, fully intent on walking out of there pretending that she wasn't still wearing his insignia plastered on her chest. Wally had a different idea, however, and sped over to gently nudge her back into the chair.

"It doesn't matter how bad it is now," He scolded, sitting himself in the chair across from her and pulling her foot up to rest on his thigh, "If you don't cover it, it could get way worse,"

Artemis told herself she was only letting him do this because _really_ it wasn't like this did her any harm. And not because she secretly loved the way he "Tsk"ed over her wound, his head bent to get a better look at it as his tongue clucked in disapproval. Because it was _not _adorable.

"Arty you need to take better care of yourself," Wally frowned, his green eyes intense as he concentrated on applying the gauze.

"Yeah, sure," Artemis rolled her eyes, "Next time I'm jumping out of an exploding aircraft I'll be sure to remember that,"

"That's not what I mean and you know it," He snapped, looking into her eyes.

Artemis held her breath as she glared at him, her mind suddenly aware of how warm the hand on her ankle was.

"I did it for the mission," She scowled, breaking eye contact to stare at the kit lying on the floor nearby, "We risk our lives every time we leave on one, what's the problem with putting forth a little extra effort?" Artemis huffed. She felt the redhead apply some medical tape to hold the gauze in place before her foot was released from his grasp.

"Risking your life and having a death wish are very different things!" Wally exclaimed. Artemis pursed her lips and Wally sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I just..." His hand stayed put at the back of his neck, scratching awkwardly, "I worry about you," He sighed, deciding to be straightforward, "You're important to me, and I don't want to lose you,"

Artemis's mouth fell agape and her heart started that _stupid _aching up again; she had to resist the urge to punch herself in the chest to try and make it stop. Because Wally _cared_, and the emotions she was feeling from his announcement was making her head spin.

"I appreciate that you care," Artemis spoke softly, "And..." She paused, working up her courage, "And I worry about you too. But it won't change anything," The archer frowned, "I'll do what the mission calls for,"

"If you're going to keep that attitude," Wally scowled back, leaning forward to rest his arms on his knees, "Then you better believe that I'm gonna be right behind you, on every mission, to make sure you don't pull something this crazy again,"

Artemis narrowed her eyes, "Is that a challenge?" She smirked. Wally's eyes widened and his nostrils flared.

"What!" He yelped, his hands flying to the sides of his head as though to hold in his frustration, "Gah! Artemis!" Wally groaned, "I just want to help you!"

"I can take care of myself," She declared, crossing her arms defiantly. All mush she had been feeling for this idiot before had long since worn off, she was not going to let him smother her.

"But I told you that I care about you! Doesn't that mean anything?" He pleaded, not quite sure where he was going with the argument. Wally also barely registered the fact that he had stood up in the excitement.

"I told you I appreciate it!" Artemis shot back standing up to reach his height. She thought she knew what he was implying with his statement. But taking the step to guess? That left her much too vulnerable.

"Don't you get it?" Wally asked, the volume of his voice back to normal as he took a tentative step towards her, "I'm crazy about you," He whispered, his fingers twitching as he itched to reach out and pull her close, "And you do these stupid stunts and I..." The speedster's eyes drifted to the floor as his voice trailed off.

"Wally," Artemis spoke softly, closing the distance between them to take one of his hands in her own, "I wasn't trained to be a hero," She frowned, "I was trained to get the job done, and if death was a result, so be it. No one cared if you never came back from a mission," Wally eyes were trained on her face now, and Artemis couldn't bring herself to look at him as she spoke, "It's been ingrained into my actions. So I'm sorry," She apologized, managing to finally meet his eyes.

Wally's brows knitted together and his mouth opened to begin a protest, but Artemis cut him off.

"But I'll try to be more careful...for you," She whispered, tightening the grip on his hand, "I can't have you getting hurt on my account," Artemis gulped, "It's already hard enough when it's not even my fault,"

Wally paused, taking in what the blonde said, and translating it into what she _meant_. A smile spread across his face as it sunk in. The redhead's free hand reached out to cradle the side of her face, pulling himself in to touch his lips to her own.

Artemis's eyes opened in shock briefly before fluttering shut and pressing back. Wally grinned against her lips and let go of her hand to wrap it around her waist, pulling her close. Artemis slid her arms around his neck, one hand resting lazily on his shoulder while the other worked its way into his hair.

Wally leaned his head back slightly, "Arty,"

"Hmm?" She hummed; a content smile on her lips. Wally grinned some more and dropped his head to press their foreheads together.

"I'm glad you're okay," He breathed, his green eyes glowing with compassion, "I was really worried about you,"

"I know," Artemis smiled, "And Wally?"

"Yeah," He responded, closing his eyes and tightening his arms around her waist.

"I'm keeping the shirt," She smirked. Wally opened his eyes to glance down, laughing at the Kid Flash t-shirt she was still wearing.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Beautiful," He chuckled, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead, "I want the whole world to know that you're mine,"

Artemis just rolled her eyes, but a smile still played at the edges of her lips.

* * *

**I don't think you have any idea how long it took me to write the ending. It very nearly turned into an angst-fest. This is very much an improvement from that. **

**Please review and let me know what you think!**

**-Veg**


End file.
